Best Ranger Competition on the Military Channel - Part One

Posted By Blackfive • [June 14, 2005]

Pictures: Kevin Duffie/DCI Sgt. Neal Jacobson of the 75th Ranger Regiment competes in the parachute spot jump event.

One of the perks of this blog (if you could call it a "perk") is that I sometimes get to preview certain books or media.  I was fortunate to reveiw an early cut of the Best Ranger Competition by the Military Channel.

The Best Ranger Competition was held at Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 22.  It ended on Sunday, April 24th.  The Military Channel sent eight camera crews to catch all of the action which will be presented in three parts beginning on June 16th.

I viewed the competition with Mrs. Blackfive and loved it.  There are plenty of back stories on the competitors (two-man teams) and lots of explanation around the different events.  Even the spouses of the competitors discuss the event. 

The whole competition is an extreme endurance test.  There are sixteen events over sixty hours - the most grueling are strategically placed in order to eliminate any competitors with doubts about their chances of completing the competition - with little time for sleeping or eating.  It rained much of the time.  In other words, perfect weather for Army training.

Twenty three teams began.  Eleven teams finished.

The competition started with...

...The Malvesti Obstacle Course

I know that many of you have actually done the Malvesti.  It's one of many obstacle courses negotiated during Ranger Training.  It has a large cargo net to climb, vertical overhead bars, and (my favorite) the worm pit.  The Military Channel shows the ones who make it over and the ones who don't...

...The comes the Run/Swim/Run

Run two miles in BDUs, swim a mile, then run two more miles.  This event contained a surprise ending for the contestants.

...The Push-Up/Chin-Up

May sound easy, but not after the Run/Swim/Run.  The BDU's and boots are soaking wet and the contestants find that they are to complete the push ups and chin ups to the beat of a metronome.

...The Bayonet Assault Course

"Fix Bayonets!" - I love the bayonet courses.  Someone usually gets cut...

...Then the Rangers have an "unknown distance run".

This run symbolizes many things about Ranger Training.  You never quite know when the mission will end or the finish line will be in sight.

...Urban Operations

"Clear!" - The contestants have to enter and clear a building correctly and quickly...they must kill the terrorists and save the hostages, and, unknown to them, their weapons are made to jam at certain points (dummy bullets placed in the sequence of rubber bullets in the magazines that they use).  The SOCOM boys are my favorites here and do what I would have done...

...The Spot Jump

The contestants performa Chopper Blast over a drop zone (DZ).  More points are awarded for landing within a target circle.  Contestants are timed from when the second team member lands until they pack their chutes and depart the DZ.  Only one team out of twenty three lands both team members in the circle.  Eleven knot winds makes for interesting jumps.

Side note:  My wife couldn't believe how hard the soldiers hit the ground in the parachute event.  My wife asked how many times I had a tough landing.   I told that I had one good static jump landing. Period.

...The Machine Gun Range

Using two different weapons, the Ranger teams must engage several targets (some are 800 meters away) and not engage the wrong targets.  They have a time limit and are cold, wet, and tired at this point.

...The Footmarch

Followed by the infamous Blue Bird (a bus that keeps a pace and will eliminate Rangers moving too slowly), Ranger teams carry 65 pound rucksacks over twenty miles at night.

And that's just Part One (the first day of the competition)...The teams will compete in the Ranger Stakes (a round-robin series of competitions including a grenade throw, first aid etc. plus a surprise), Orienteering (Night and Day), the Darby Queen Obstacle Course (all Rangers hit this during the first phase of Ranger School), Water Confidence Test, Helocast (exiting a moving helicopter over water),  and a final "buddy run".

Tomorrow, I'll post more about the teams that competed.

---

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Best Ranger Competition on the Military Channel - Part One

Pictures: Kevin Duffie/DCI Sgt. Neal Jacobson of the 75th Ranger Regiment competes in the parachute spot jump event.

One of the perks of this blog (if you could call it a "perk") is that I sometimes get to preview certain books or media.  I was fortunate to reveiw an early cut of the Best Ranger Competition by the Military Channel.

The Best Ranger Competition was held at Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 22.  It ended on Sunday, April 24th.  The Military Channel sent eight camera crews to catch all of the action which will be presented in three parts beginning on June 16th.

I viewed the competition with Mrs. Blackfive and loved it.  There are plenty of back stories on the competitors (two-man teams) and lots of explanation around the different events.  Even the spouses of the competitors discuss the event. 

The whole competition is an extreme endurance test.  There are sixteen events over sixty hours - the most grueling are strategically placed in order to eliminate any competitors with doubts about their chances of completing the competition - with little time for sleeping or eating.  It rained much of the time.  In other words, perfect weather for Army training.

Twenty three teams began.  Eleven teams finished.

The competition started with...

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